NONGPOH: Due to incessant rains for the last three days, two massive landslides occurred along the National Highway 40 at Shangbangla in Ri Bhoi district on Monday.
The first incident occurred at around 9.30 am. This landslide threw traffic out of gear for hours on Shillong-Guwahati road. The caved in soil and boulders occupied both the lanes of the freeway, forcing traffic to a halt. However, no one was injured.
Soon, after receiving information, Deputy Commissioner Pooja Pandey, Ri Bhoi district police chief CVS Reddy along with other police personnel rushed to the spot and oversaw the rescue operation.
Eight earth-movers were pressed into service in clearing the earth from the road. Commuters including Assembly Speaker AT Mondal were stuck in the traffic jam. Another landslide occurred at the same spot at around 2.30pm forcing the authorities to conduct another clearing operation and in late evening normalcy was restored and traffic was allowed to flow through the road.